Your study permit must be kept valid during your studies in Canada. You must apply to extend your study permit before it expires, if you want to keep studying. 

Among other conditions as a study permit holder, you must also remain enrolled and make reasonable and timely progress towards completing your program. Failing to do so could lead to your removal from Canada or refusal of subsequent study permit applications. USask is required to report to IRCC on your continued enrolment status. If you have any questions about this, please check out the Reporting Enrolment Status page. Please speak with ISSAC if you face barriers to further enrolment or need to take a leave from your studies. 

• The expiry date on your study permit tells you when you have to stop studying and leave Canada. Every study permit has an expiration date. 
• If your studies require you to remain in Canada beyond the expiry date of your study permit, IRCC must recieve your application for extension before your current study permit expires.
• You can only apply to extend your study permit if you are physically inside Canada.
• IRCC recommends submitting your application at least 30 days before your current permit expires. 
• ISSAC recommends submitting your application at least 5-6 months before the current permit expires, if possible. And ideally at least, 3-4 months before the expiry. Check processing times.

Study permit validity

Your study permit becomes invalid in one of three ways, whichever comes first:

• The expiry date on the study permit, OR
• 90 days after written confirmation of program completion first becomes available, OR
• As of Nov 8, 2024, the day you are no longer enrolled at the Designated Learning Institution that is named on your study permit (other than as a result of completing your studies)

If you do not submit an application to extend your study permit before it becomes invalid, you must stop studying and working immediately.

If you plan to change your instituition, you must apply for a new study permit by extending the current one. Most students also need to receive the new study permit before beginning studies at the new institution.

At USask, your program is considered complete when you receive written confirmation of program completion (letter of completion). The letter of completion is not issued automatically. You must request it directly from your college/academic unit. 

Study permit extensions are for in-Canada applicants only. You cannot apply for your study permit extension from outside of Canada. You must apply online from within Canada through IRCC website.

If you have not done so already, you will have an option to create either a GCKey account or a Sign-in Partner account. Both accounts work the same when applying for your study permit extension. However, Sign-In Partner account is available only to those who have a bank account with certain Canadian banking institutions.

Use the Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as s Student [IMM5709] form for your study permit extension. Always download the most current version of the form from the IRCC website.

Application cost is $150.00 CAD.
 You can check processing times online

Required documents

Generally, you will need the bellow supporting documents. However, depending on your personal situation, whether you are applying for acompanying family members' extension of immigration documents at the same time, and how you answer questions in the pre-application questionnaire in your online account, you might need to provide different and/or additional documents. 

Please note that you must set up your online application through the IRCC secure online account first by answering questions and creating a personalized document checklist to know which documents you actually require. 

1. Confirmation of Enrolment versus Letter of Acceptance

• When applying to extend your study permit to continue to study in the same program, your Confirmation of Enrollment (COE) Letter is required, not your Letter of Acceptance (LOA). 
• If you have completed one program of study at USask and got accepted into another program of study at USask, you will need to include both your Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) Letter and your Letter of Acceptance (LOA) for your new program of study.
• When providing your COE letter, it must have the most up to date information about your registration. Please register in as many future terms as possible before requesting the COE letter through MyCreds in PAWS.
• When providing your LOA, it must be valid. 

2. Proof of means of financial support

• You must prove you have enough money to support yourself while you study in Canada. Find out what documents you can use to prove you have the minimum amount of money that you will need. If hoping to extend a study permit for 12 months or more, at the minimum, you must have enough money for one full year of tuition plus at least $20,635 for 12 months of living expenses in Canada. Living costs amount increases if you have family memebers accompanying you in Canada during your studies.

• You must include the biodata page of your passport with your picture, plus all other pages with stamps, visas and/or markings. 

4. Passport-size photo (please no selfies)

5. Do I need a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL)? Some study permit extensions may need a PAL.

• You do NOT need a PAL if you are in Canada, have a valid study permit and are applying for a study permit extension at the same DLI and level of study as your current study permit. Please visit USask's PAL FAQ to learn more.

6. You may need a letter of explanation if the supporting documents are insufficient (e.g. missing registration, authorized leave from studies, passport issues, other situations where you may need to provide more information to IRCC).

7. Additional documents, such as, a medical exam, and biometrics, may be required, depending on your situation.

It is every student's responsibiity to always carefully read and follow the application instructions. If more assistance is needed, please contact ISSAC

Common questions when completing the application

When you apply to extend your study permit, you can ALSO:

• apply for/extend a co-op work permit (if eligible or applicable)
• apply for/extend documents of your dependents (e.g. a spouse/partner’s work permit or a child’s visitor record or study permit)

 What is a UCI in the IMM5709 form? 
It stands for a «unique client identifier» as well known as «client ID». It appears on all official documents from IRCC.  

 What is a document number in the IMM5709 form? 
It appears on all official IRCC documents. It is usually printed in black ink as one letter followed by 9 numbers. 

 How to answer «Duration of expected studies» question in the IMM5709 form? 

In «from» write the date on which you are filling out the application. In «to» write the date that is 90 days after your anticipated completion date. You may stay in Canada for 90 days beyond the completion of your studies only if you have a valid study permit. This time period is called a “bridge extension”.

 How to fill out the «employment» section in the IMM5709 form? 
If you do not have a job, you can write «student». 

 How to sign the form when applying online? 
It is not possible to sign the form if applying online, so upload the form without signing. After uploading all your documents, you will later be asked to electronically sign your application by typing your name.

 Is it needed to upload the proof of a medical exam? 
In general, most students in Canada do not need proof of a medical exam unless (1) they lived in certain countries for more than 6 months in the past 12 months, or (2) they wanted to work in certain health-related occupations. Read more. 

Will I need biometrics? Find more information here.

• Create your IRCC online account
• Use IRCC Help Centre
  
• Guide 5552 - Applying to Change Conditions or Extend Your Stay in Canada - Student - online application

If IRCC approves your study permit extension, you will recieve a message in your IRCC secure account about the approval and the study permit document will be mailed out to you to the mailing address your indicated in your application form.

Remember to do the following after you receive your new study permit:

• Make sure all information on it is correct (name, date of birth, etc). If you notice mistakes or missing information, please speak with ISSAC.
• Make a copy of it and store the original in a safe place
• Renew your Saskatchewan Health Coverage
• Renew your Social Insurance Number (SIN), if applicable
• Apply for a new Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) to enter Canada, if your country of citizenship requires one
• Renew your Driver’s License, if applicable 

1. You must resubmit your study permit extension application if your current study permit is still valid at the time of the refusal decision. Read your refusal letter thoroughly, work on preparing another application by addressing the issues identified in the refusal letter. You must resubmit the extension application before the current study permit expires. Please talk to ISSAC for more assistance. 
2. You must resubmit your study permit extension application if your current study permit is still valid at the time of the cancellation decision. Cancellations are rare and the application fee is refunded in this case. Please talk to ISSAC for more assistance. 
3. You cannot resubmit your study permit extension application if your current study permit has already expired at the time of the refusal or the cancellation decision. In this case, you have lost your status and must apply for a new study permit by restoring your status. You will need to pay an extra fee for restoration and will need a PAL. Restorations take a long time and are not quaranteed. When you lose your status, you must stop studying and working immediately

If IRCC receives your study permit extension application BEFORE your current study permit expires, you have maintained status during processing. Under this circumstance, you may continue studying and working as a student under the same conditions pending a determination of your application for renewal, as long as you remain in Canada. 

We strongly advise against leaving Canada while your study permit extension is in process and your current study permit will expire while you are abroad. If you think you will be facing this situation, please consult the IRCC website and speak with an adviser at ISSAC. Further consult travelling outside of Canada

You have lost your status if your study permit expires and you have not applied to extend it before it expired.

• You are "out of status" now.
• You must stop studying and working immediately.
• You are not allowed to attend classes or work on or off-campus while you are out of status. 
• You may be able to restore your status within 90 days of having lost your status.
• There is no guarantee that your application for restoration will be approved. You need to pay $150 for a new study permit as well as the $239.75 restoration fee. 
• You must provide a letter of explanation about why you let your study permit expire.
• You will also need a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) for your application.